Something Else To Protect
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: A demon prophecy predicting that the next child of two Shadowhunters will end Demon life as they know it causes a pregnant Clary to be attacked and forced into a miscarriage, sending a heartbroken Jace on a revenge mission. Keeping a family safe is harder than the couple could ever have dreamed.


One minute, I was facing the demon, stepping back as it advanced on me. The next thing I knew, Simon and Jace were kneeling over me, Jace sobbing uncontrollably and clutching at my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.

A dull ache throbbed in her lower stomach, coupled with the burn of the deep cuts from the demon's claws. I knew what that meant.

"Clary, Clary!" Simon was yelling, holding on to my shoulders. My head lolled as he shook me gently.

"Clary..." Jace gasped. His hands were already soaked in my blood up to the wrists.

My eyes fixed on the grey sky past Simon's worried face, then closed.

* * *

"I'm going out." I said, blowing a kiss at Jace, who was reading in an armchair in the library of the Institute.

"Why?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fresh air, exercise, food," I replied cheerfully. "I'm only going to the minute market at the corner."

"Okay." Jace said skeptically, eyeing me. "You'll be careful, right?" I nodded, coming over to give him a kiss.

"Do you have money?" Jace asked, resting a hand on my slightly rounded stomach.

"Can I borrow a dollar?" I asked sweetly. "Then I'll have enough to bring you something too."

Jace chuckled and pulled out his wallet, handing me a five. "Go crazy. But don't bring Simon any."

"You know I will anyway. I can't leave him at the mercy of his own cooking now that Isabel is gone. I think he's almost as bad."

"Yikes." Jace chuckled. I kissed him one more time, tucking the money into the pocket of my black peacoat.

"I'll see you in a while." I said.

"You two be careful." He replied, fixing me in his golden stare as I left.

I shut the door of the Institute behind me and took a deep breath of the crisp december air. It was frosty, but hadn't snowed yet. I took a left, heading down to the minute market, my go-to place for pregnancy food.

I hadn't had any weird cravings, mostly for sweets, but the Shadowhunters didn't exactly keep a large supply of twinkies and chocolate around, so I had to go elsewhere to find my junk food.

I skirted an icy puddle in the sidewalk and hummed a little to myself, keeping my hands safely in the warmth of my coat pockets. I didn't like to admit it, but this peacoat was my favorite because I could keep my hands warm and caress my little bump without being too obvious.

Jace and I went to a Mundane doctor tomorrow for an ultrasound where we'd be able to see the sex of our baby. I was excited, but I wasn't too sure about Jace. He was happy, I knew, but he didn't like to show it. Sure, he performed all the fatherly actions, but there was some weird hesitance around him. Maybe it was just the fact that I insisted on seeing a Mundane doctor, he felt out of his comfort zone.

Oh well. That would work out once it was born.

I'd already picked out names. Rose Jocelyn Fray if it was a girl, Lysander Simon Wayland if it were a boy. I hadn't told Jace yet, I was just waiting to see what were were having before I presented my options. I'd also have to state a good case for wanting to name part of our son after my best friend.

I paused to look in a thrift shop window as I passed, and my eye fell on a baby jumper. It was purple and had stars on it. It was on clearance too. I debated a second before going in. I wouldn't have as much money to buy Jace a treat, but that was okay. He could live without the extra calories.

I plucked the jumper off the rack and walked up to the desk, presenting the woman with my five. She gave me my change and a bag.

"When are you due?" She asked.

"April." I said, flushing. She just smiled...

Revealing pointed black teeth. A gust of fetid air hit me in the face, and I resisted the urge to retch.

I took a step back, running for the door. What was left of the shop keeper crawled over the counter and took a flying leap, pushing me to the floor and holding me down. I felt a twinge of pain in my stomach.

_No no no no!_ I screamed inwardly.

"I've been waiting for you to come out of that infernal Institute." The demon possessing the shopkeep drawled, its breath choking me. "You're the one everyone wants a piece of, all because a kid who's rumored to be your brother knocked you up."

"He's not my brother. We proved this." I said through gritted teeth.

"Eh. I don't care. What's a little love, right? All I care about is the ransom on your head... or rather, belly." It flipped me over, and I gagged. The shopkeeper had devolved and rotted away, revealing a rather disgusting demon.

"What are you talking about?" I gasped, clenching my jaw further.

"Someone very powerful put a price out on disrupting your pregnancy. I'm just following through." The Demon grinned, revealing rotten teeth. My eyes began to water.

"Why?" I asked. Debating whether screaming would help me at all. My hand inched toward the knife in my pocket.

"There's a prophecy about the next child of two shadowhunters. I don't know the specifics, only that my employer doesn't want to take any chances." The demon raised its moldy claws.

"Are your claws poisoned?" I asked casually. That threw the demon off. My hand crept closer to my pocket while I stalled for time.

"What?"

"Your claws. Are they poisoned?" I asked. "I'm just curious. They don't look like it."

The demon's rotting face twisted sourly. The effect was quite gruesome.

"No. Due to my ah- decomposed nature, demon poison does not run in my veins."

"Very nice." I said, pulling the knife out of my pocket and stabbing it into the demon's stomach. A blast of rotten gas hit me as the Demon shrieked and fell off me. I scrambled away, vomiting on the floor. The glamour concealing the shop wavered, and I cursed myself for being so stupid.

The demon wheeled around, eyes burning. It scuttled over, leaking bodily fluids on the floor.

"You're clever, Shadowhunter. Now let me end you as you ended me." It spat.

Its claws arced down, and I could do nothing to defend myself.


End file.
